Himalaya

Day 106: Thimpu to Takstang

Early lunch with Khendum at a trendy new restaurant called the Bhutan Kitchen, opened two days ago and alarmingly empty. I meet two of her international friends. Linda, a buxom American, is married to a Bhutanese thangka painter and has lived here for seven years.

'I love Bhutan. Bhutan is so relaxed and peaceful.'

'Everyone says that.'

She nods and shrugs.

'But there's nothing else to say about Bhutan.'

Françoise, a lively, funny French lady, who I feel I know already, as she's written the guide book that's become my Bhutanese bible, is a touch more analytical.

'I won't call it Shangri-la but there is a certain magic here, which isn't about wealth,' she says. 'Once you're trapped in, you can't get out. It's a magic trap.'